Airen
by Synathidy
Summary: After his strange and traumatic experiences, Sean befriends an interesting person named Rayf and later makes another new friend... Sequal to Fruition of a Nightmare.


Airen

By Synathidy

He awoke to a few delicate beams of sunlight filtering through one large window to dance on an old wooden floor and the soft blankets covering him. The bed Sean was in sat in the corner farthest from the window, and there was a simple table with one chair next to it a few feet away from him. Glancing around the room more, Sean saw a small kitchen against the wall with the window, and a door further along the wall. The walls were constructed of dark logs. He was in a cabin. But how had he come to be here? And where WAS here? Adjusting his hands under the covers, he hesitated as he felt his own bare skin. Someone had undressed him! Or at least, he was pretty sure that someone besides himself had. It then occurred to him that he couldn't remember ANYTHING about how he had come to this place.

He tried to remember what had happened before waking, but with little success. He remembered entering Rock Tunnel, and that it was dark, but after that, it felt as if there was a fairly long stretch of time that he knew nothing about. Trying to raise himself up into a sitting position, he found that his muscles felt extremely fatigued, as if his energy had been totally drained, and he felt light headed and dizzy just from the small elevation change. After being under the blankets so long, the air was cold against his exposed chest. He sat still for a few moments and closed his eyes, trying to let his senses recover. Then in a flash that lasted no more than a second, he saw jagged black and white shapes race across his vision. He gasped and opened his eyes, afraid that the shapes would return again. Just seeing those shapes for a split second brought him a terrible, impending sense of dread that was somehow familiar to him. What WERE they? He knew that he had seen them before—perhaps in that expanse of time he couldn't account for... he decided it would be best to not even think about it. He had a feeling he WANTED to forget whatever those shapes were.

From his new vantage point sitting up, he noticed that his backpack was on the table and his clothes were folded neatly on the floor next to the bed. He reached down for them and began dressing while still in bed, thinking that he would much prefer to be clothed when he met whoever had brought him here. He was in the process of flipping his thick long hair out of the neck-hole of his shirt when the door opened and someone else entered the cabin.

"Ah, you're awake!" The boy who spoke had a calm voice and looked like he was about Sean's age, or perhaps a little younger. He was tall, and nearly as thin as Sean was. His fine long hair was a shade of brown so dark that it appeared black, and was tied back by a worn strip of white cloth in a pony tail, although its thick bushiness was more reminiscent of a FOX tail than anything else. Like his hair, his eyes also shined with a dark brown color like that of a deep and murky pond. He wore a black T-shirt, and a Hypno was by his side. "Looks like you found your clothes, too!" he observed cheerfully. "It's a relief to see that you seem to be alright now."

Initially startled by the boy's sudden entrance, Sean was also a bit taken aback by his apparent bright mood. "Umm..." His voice was weak and he felt awkward not knowing where he was or who the person standing in front of him was. "I know this sounds kind of weird, but I'm having trouble remembering anything right now. Could you by any chance tell me where I am and how I got here?"

The boy let out a brief sigh. "Well, I'm not surprised you're having some memory loss after what you've BEEN through," he remarked as he pulled up the chair to sit facing Sean.

Sean just stared wide-eyed and blinked at the other boy, clueless. "Been through?"

"Yeah... You were attacked by what I can only guess was a Gengar's Dream Eater ability."

"Guess?" Sean questioned again.

The other boy nodded. "Although it probably used its Hypnosis attack on you to put you to sleep first." He sat back in his chair to get more comfortable. "You see, yesterday evening I was walking through a remote part of Rock Tunnel when Traumellow, my Hypno here whose Flash ability I use to light my way," he said as he affectionately placed a hand on the Pokémon's head, "detected some powerful psychic energy nearby. We searched around a little and found YOU in a dark corner, curled up unconscious on the cave floor. As the light of Traumellow's Flash illuminated the small chamber you were in, I caught a glimpse of a shadow hovering over you, but it slipped away into the darkness before I could get close enough to see it well."

Sean stared down at his own lap in thought. Why had he been wandering around alone in the dark?

"I don't know how you got into that predicament, but you're extremely lucky I found you when I did," the other boy continued in a grave voice. "Your clothes were soaked in sweat and you were shivering violently when I picked you up. I doubt you would've lasted much longer if I hadn't interrupted that... thing... Anyway, I carried you out of the cave to this place, a cabin I use sometimes in the mountains just a few miles away from Lavender. I had to get you out of your cold, wet clothes and get you warmed up..." the boy smiled at Sean and his tone became light again. "Didn't want you to catch a cold, hehe! As you can see, I washed and dried your clothes for you."

Sean still kept his eyes down, only occasionally looking at the boy who had saved him. He felt quite embarrassed to have been discovered in such a vulnerable and helpless state. "But..." he finally spoke again. "What were YOU doing in the remote part of the caves where I was?" Sean asked.

The other boy got a sad look in his eyes as he stared into space and paused pensively. "Looking for lost Pokémon..." he sighed.

"Lost Pokémon?"

The boy continued to stare into space as if in some kind of trance. "Yes. It's something that's become very important to me. I search out abandoned Pokémon in need of rescue..." the boy looked back at Sean. "I volunteer at Lavender's Pokémon House, and I often explore Rock Tunnel to find them. You'd be surprised to find out how many trainers abandon their unwanted Pokémon in those caves... unless someone like me comes along to find them, they would never find their way out..." He smiled slightly. "But this is the first time I've found a PERSON in need of rescue!" Sean blushed slightly as the boy paused. "My name's Rayf. What's yours?"

"I'm Sean," Sean said with a slight smile of his own. He was beginning to feel a little more comfortable around this stranger. "Thanks... for saving me, I mean."

"Don't mention it!" Rayf beamed gladly. Then he looked at Sean a little more intently. "But I'm just curious, Sean... what were you doing in the pitch black caverns of Rock Tunnel without a Pokémon that knows Flash?"

Sean was silent. Suddenly it came back to him. He remembered his depression...his emptiness... entering the darkness of the caves not caring if he ever came back out... collapsing somewhere after wandering around lost for what had felt like hours. He remembered how utterly pathetic he had felt—how pathetic he STILL felt, and started to feel tears forming in his eyes. He normally never cried in front of other people, but after suddenly thinking of how pitiful he was and how helpless he was to do anything about it, his emotions overwhelmed him. He just couldn't hold them in any longer. He couldn't fake any appearance of mental well-being anymore, not when under the surface he was withering and fading away... As tears began to roll down his cheeks, he rested his face in one hand to keep his eyes covered. Watching in concern as Sean began to sob with voiceless, short breaths of air, Rayf finally came over and silently sat down on the bed right next to Sean, gently placing an arm around his shoulders and holding him close. The crying boy made no effort to draw away.

Sean tried to speak through his sobbing, but found that it was very hard to make any voiced sounds at all. "... I'm...sorry," he managed to quietly choke out. "You just... have no idea... no idea how ALONE I've been!" Sean gasped out, sobbing more after almost every word. He now leaned up against Rayf's chest, crying too much to speak another word. This was the closest he had ever been to another person in his conscious memory, and he had no way to be prepared for the relief it made him feel... he felt so comforted to finally be held by someone while he cried for once... to open up his real emotions and let his tears flow freely while being embraced...

"... Sean..." Rayf simply said his name softly. He continued to hold Sean for some time, until the crying lessened enough to speak.

"I... I went into the caves... because..." Sean sniffled. "... Because I didn't CARE if I never found my way back out!" He said with as much strength as his weak voice could convey.

"Oh, Sean..." Rayf spoke with pity in his voice.

"I've felt so empty for so long..." Sean's voice began to come back to him. "I went in there to DIE! THAT's how pathetic I am..."

Rayf paused and looked down at Sean. "Well I don't think you're pathetic at all," he smirked as he looked into Sean's eyes. "It was pretty brave of you to go into that dark cave all by yourself," Rayf joked. He then looked a little more serious and his voice took on its deliberate, dreamy quality from before. "Look, Sean. I may not know you well since I only just met you, but I DO know that being all on your own can be a pretty scary place to be... all alone with nothing and no one but your own thoughts... it can feel like you're the only person in the world, or like you're on the bottom of the ocean, slowly suffocating as you look all around you in vain for signs of life... for someone else to reach out to..." Sean flinched slightly at how similar Rayf's ocean metaphor was to how he had thought of his depression before. "Tell you what," Rayf said with new energy in his voice. "Why don't you travel with me for a while, or at least until we get to Lavender? You WERE on you way there anyway, weren't you?"

Sean stared at Rayf with amazement. "But... I basically just told you that I tried to KILL myself!" Sean exclaimed. "Why would you ever want to travel with a depressed weirdo like me?"

Rayf cocked his head a little to the side and returned a puzzled look at Sean. "Why should THAT bother me?" He asked rhetorically before turning his gaze to the sunlight shining through the window. "I don't like to judge people," he resumed talking in a carefree tone. "The only thing I gather from you entering such a dark place is that your MIND must have been in a pretty dark place to make you do something like that. I think it's sad... but not pathetic or weird at all." He looked back to Sean smiling. "So how about it? Wanna stick with me for a while?"

Sean was somewhat dumbstruck. He couldn't believe that the other boy was so trusting and friendly to him under the circumstances. However, he also felt strangely happy that Rayf was so welcoming and friendly. "Uhh... well, sure... I guess so," he sheepishly stuttered out while looking down.

"Great!" Rayf surprised Sean a little with his joyful exclamation.

"Hyp, Hypnoo," Traumellow echoed her trainer's happiness.

After sitting so long, Sean now felt like getting up to stretch his legs. He slowly stood up, bracing himself against the bed with his arms. As soon as he was up and tried to take an experimental step, the room began spinning in his vision before he felt his body collapsing and his mind blacking out for a few seconds. Luckily, Rayf saw him growing faint and stood up in time to catch him and set him back down on the bed. Sean opened his eyes again to see Rayf standing over him.

"Take it easy for a while, cave explorer!" Sean smiled faintly at the playful quip. "It looks like you're still pretty weak, so why don't you let me fix up some breakfast before we get going, hmm? I've got a makeshift kitchen here, and I can make some pretty good pancakes," Rayf winked at him.

"Sure," Sean sighed happily. "That sounds good."

After the two boys had quietly eaten what Sean had found to be a surprisingly delicious breakfast of pancakes, Sean stood outside of the cabin on his own, deep in his own thoughts as he stared at snow-capped mountains in the distance, their tips disappearing into thick clouds. It was a fairly clear morning, and the mountain air was fresh and crisp. He had been waiting for Rayf to finish tidying up a few things in the cabin before they departed for Lavender. When Rayf finally walked outside and shut the door behind him, he noticed Sean and curiously walked over to him.

"What's on your mind, Sean?" He asked innocently.

Sean was snapped out of his thoughts to look at Rayf. He wasn't used to anyone being around while he got lost in his own thoughts, and wasn't quite sure how to answer Rayf. "It's nothing... I was just taking in the scenery," he said half-heartedly as he resumed staring at the mountains.

Rayf stood by his side to join him "It IS really beautiful up here. That's part of the reason I come here often, other than to look for abandoned Pokémon. It's good to just take in nature, you know?" Rayf paused a moment and took note of Sean's aloof demeanor. "Are you sure there's nothing on your mind? You look so thoughtful..."

Sean thought he might as well forego his usual reservation since he had already opened up so much to Rayf. "I don't know... it's just..." a light breeze made a few locks of his hair wave in the wind as he struggled to find the right words to express his thoughts. "Do you ever feel like everyone and everything in the world is just... conspiring together to play a big joke on you?"

Rayf glanced at Sean with interest, ready to listen attentively and patiently as Sean tried to explain himself further.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I just get this feeling sometimes like the whole world is just toying with me, like all of the random people I've ever come across are all in on some sort of elaborate plot to control where I go and what happens to me, just to entertain themselves as they watch me hopelessly stumbling place to place as I struggle to find some sort of fulfillment in my life, or just a way to live with myself..." Neither boy said anything for a while as Sean's words trailed off on the wind.

"What an intriguing thought..." Rayf said earnestly to finally break the silence.

Sean shot a skeptical glance at Rayf. "You think I'm nuts, don't you?"

"Not at all!" Rayf answered enthusiastically. "As improbable as that situation you described may be, I think it does a pretty accurate job of describing how you've probably been feeling. It's really not that surprising you feel that way, considering how secluded you tell me you've been. How could you NOT feel that the world is against you when you're so withdrawn and separated from it?" Sean reflected happily for a moment on the truth of Rayf's words. While at first talking had felt uncomfortable, Rayf had a certain calmness and relaxed nature that made Sean feel like he could talk to him. Putting aside his reserved tendencies, he found that it was a great relief to able to talk so openly with someone about his thoughts... thoughts that until now had always been kept inside...

"It wouldn't faze you if I was a raving psychopath, would it?" Sean uncharacteristically joked.

"Nope!" Rayf played along cheerily. The two laughed lightly, and then Rayf looked toward the path that led to Lavender. "Well, shall we hit the trail?" he asked brightly.

"Yeah," Sean nodded. And the two set off on their way.

Meanwhile, in a rocky clearing just outside of Lavender Town...

A lone Cubone stood on his own before a group of several others of his kind. At the front of the group was a Marowak who looked down at the isolated Cubone with cold indifference. It prepared to speak in the native tongue of its species.

"You should not have returned here. Surely you realize that our law cannot permit one who has lived among humans to ever live among our kind again..." The Cubone looked hurt by these words and was anxious to protest.

"But I had no choice! Only a few days after I was captured, the trainer cast me away, telling me I was too weak to be of any use to him. This place is the only home I've ever known! Please! I have nowhere else to go!"

The Marowak planted its bone weapon firmly on the ground like a cane and shook its head slowly, it's stony expression unchanged. "None of that matters! You have violated our law and are no longer one of us. You must leave this area immediately and never come ba—"

"But that's ridiculous!" the Cubone interjected. "It was only for a few days... surely you can make an exception!" The Marowak had lost its patience now. Without warning, it quickly raised its bone and brutally struck the Cubone across the side of his skull helmet. The impact made a loud cracking noise and knocked him off his feet. After a moment he looked up from his position on the ground with tears in his eyes and a newly made, long fracture line running diagonally from the right eye hole of his helmet down to the bottom of its snout. The skull may have protected his head from serious damage, but the sheer force of the blow had still hurt.

"Let that be a warning to you. Don't let us find you here again, or the next time I'll strike you in a place where you have no armor." With that threat, the Marowak turned and walked away, followed by the group of Cubone that had silently watched the situation unfold. The outcast watched helplessly as they left, teardrops flowing in a stream along the line of the new fracture in his helmet to drip from the end of the snout. He was left completely alone, rejected not only by the world of humans, but by his own kind...

Not too far away from these events, Sean and Rayf had been continuing on their way to Lavender...

The two boys had walked for a few hours on the rolling mountain path, talking for a few brief stretches, but mostly remaining quiet. Curiously, the quiet periods in between didn't feel awkward at all to Sean... just peaceful... Sean had released all three of his Pokémon to get some fresh air, letting Kiichigo fly by his side, while Baphomet perched on his shoulder and Ganymede curled his little tail around Sean's arm. Baphomet half-hid herself in Sean's thick hair, trying to snuggle up against his neck. While most people would probably have been freaked out by having a bat in their hair, Sean liked the ticklish feeling of his Zubat cuddling in his hair and thought it was quite cute as well. Rayf had released one his Pokémon as well, letting Traumellow, the Hypno Sean had already met, walk next to him.

"So Sean," Rayf started a new conversation. "Is there any particular reason you decided to become a Pokémon trainer? Any special goal you set for yourself or anything like that?"

Sean took a few seconds to answer. "Well... I'm actually not really sure why I did it. I don't really like competition, and I'm kind of a pacifist, to be honest..."

"I think that's refreshing," Rayf declared solidly.

"Really?" Sean asked.

"Yeah! So many trainers out there are arrogant hot-shots who are so full of themselves that they care more about winning and getting attention than they do for the well-being of others, OR their Pokémon. It's THOSE kinds of trainers that usually end up abandoning their weakest Pokémon because they can't hold up well in competitive battling..."

Sean exchanged affectionate glances with his Pokémon. "I couldn't imagine EVER doing that to mine," he said with more conviction than usual.

Rayf watched and grinned as Sean's Pokémon voiced their content with their trainer. "I can see why! You and your Pokémon love each other, am I right?"

Sean blushed a little, but nodded. "Yeah."

"Then that's reason enough," Rayf stated contently.

Sean stared blankly at him. "Reason enough for what?"

"For being a trainer! It's clear that you enjoy spending time with your Pokémon and building friendships with them as you travel together on your journey, and I don't think there's ANY better reason than that to be a trainer." Sean looked curiously at Rayf, and then smiled.

"Thanks, Rayf."

"For What?"

Sean's voice softened. "For making me feel like it's okay not to be anything more than I am." Rayf just smiled back, not feeling the need to respond with anything more for a moment. Then he stared straight ahead.

"You're more than you think," he finally added in a sure tone. Sean glanced at Rayf curiously.

Just then the two could see someone up ahead walking towards them on the path. He was a confident-looking young man wearing cargo pants, a sleeveless shirt, and a backwards baseball cap. Sean noticed a Pokéball in his hand. As he got closer, he addressed the two boys.

"Alright, which one of you hippies is gonna battle me? I've been hiking around here all day looking for some competition." He turned his attention to Sean, probably because he had the most Pokémon around him. "How 'bout you, Horsea boy? You've got some pretty delicate-looking Pokémon there. They could probably use some battling to toughen up!" he chuckled at his insult. Ganymede looked slightly concerned, while Baphomet made a few defensive hissing noises and Kiichigo raised her stingers slightly as if preparing for battle. Sean was NOT in the mood to battle after everything that had happened over the last couple days. Why was he always running into trainers like this?

"No thanks," Sean said, ignoring the trainer's rude remarks. "Sorry, but we're pretty anxious to get to Lavender. We've been traveling quite a while."

"That's a lame excuse!" the trainer commented. "So has EVERYONE who's come this far. Do you think the Elite Four or the Champion got where they are by backing out of challenges because they had 'been traveling quite a while'?" Sean couldn't help but be slightly annoyed by the trainer's exaggerated, whiny imitation of his voice. "Just pick your Pokémon and let's do this, you wimp." Rayf stepped forward toward the aggressive boy. He had had quite enough of watching him ridicule Sean.

"Excuse me, but he already said he doesn't want to battle, and you can't FORCE him to battle you," Rayf reasoned. The trainer stepped over near Rayf and Traumellow.

"Alright then. How 'bout YOU, pretty boy? That Hypno looks stronger than any of those wimps over THERE, anyway," he said as he gestured with his thumb toward Sean and his Pokémon. Rayf remained his usual calm self and didn't back down at all.

"Naahhh," Rayf waved his hand casually. "Battling isn't really my thing." The trainer didn't look any less discouraged.

"Well, this is a problem," he said threateningly. "ONE of you better man up and accept my challenge, or I MIGHT just half to FORCE you to defend yourselves," he said as he raised the Pokéball he was holding. Rayf exchanged a quick glance down at his Hypno and winked at her. He decided that he was going to have to take care of this situation.

"Traumellow! Hypnosis, quick!" Traumellow immediately held up her pendulum and began swinging it back and forth as her eyes glowed purple and she chanted hypnotically. She was emitting sleep waves focused in the stubborn trainer's direction, and he had been caught completely off guard.

"Wha? Hey! What ar-... y-... doooi-..." the trainer's words trailed off as he began to sway back and forth drowsily until he slumped to the ground and fell asleep on his side. Sean was amazed at how quick the Hypnosis waves took effect. It now made sense why he had become tired so quickly back in Rock Tunnel. Something HAD used Hypnosis on him!

"Come on, Sean! Let's go before he can wake up!" Rayf grabbed Sean's hand and led the way as the two of them ran down the path and away from the snoozing trainer. Traumellow and Kiichigo followed along, matching their speed.

"I can't BELIEVE you just did that," Sean panted as they were running, giggling slightly.

"Weellll, I was getting tired of that guy trying to boss us around," Rayf playfully justified himself. "Worked like a charm, didn't it?"

"Hypnooo!" Traumellow agreed. Both boys laughed as they continued running, approaching the edge of Lavender Town.

As they ran, they noticed a small Pokémon a short distance in front of them, slowly walking across the trail they were following. They slowed down to a stop to observe the creature.

"Well look at that... a Cubone!" Rayf said in a hushed voice, trying not to make any loud noise that would alarm the Pokémon. "I knew that they lived in these mountains, but this is the first time I've seen one. They usually stay clear of people."

The Cubone continued walking sluggishly with its head down until it reached a small rock off to the side of the trail where it sat staring at the earth and holding its bone club across its lap. It remained still and seemed totally oblivious to the two people watching it. Sean thought to himself that there was something strangely sad about the Cubone... something which reminded him a little of himself...

"That's strange..." Rayf looked puzzled at the Cubone. "It doesn't even seem to notice us. It looks almost like it's... depressed or something."

"I wonder if it needs any help..." Sean pondered aloud. Suddenly, Baphomet, who had been observing the Cubone from his shoulder, took flight and flew over toward the Cubone. "Baphomet? What could you be up to...?" Sean curiously watched his Zubat. The bat Pokémon fluttered down to land in front of the Cubone where she seemed to be trying to talk to it. To Sean and Rayf, it sounded like Baphomet was just making various clicking and squeaking noises with an occasional "Zubat!" interspersed in between, but the Cubone understood the language a bit more clearly.

"Hey! What are you doing here? Do you have a trainer? Are you wild? Why are you just sitting here all alone like this?" Baphomet bombarded the Cubone with questions, but it seemed to ignore her. She eventually decided on a more calm approach. "There's no need to be shy, you know. Neither me, nor those two humans over there mean you any harm. We're just curious is all..." The Cubone looked at the two boys out of the corner of its eye. It then moved its eyes back to the ground.

"You should run away from your trainer over there as soon as possible," it spoke in a low, gloomy voice. "He'll only get sick of you and abandon you someday anyway. It's only a matter of time..."

"Nothing could be further from the truth!" Baphomet responded strongly. That trainer over there isn't like most humans. I've been traveling with him for months now, and I can assure you that he cares deeply about me and both of my two friends over there," Baphomet gestured with her wing toward Ganymede and Kiichigo, who were still at Sean's side. The Cubone made a small grunting noise of ridicule and crossed its arms. "What about YOU? What's your story? The way you talk it sounds like you've had a bad experience with humans."

The Cubone was silent for a moment before answering. "... My story's nothing... I've been thrown away like trash by everyone I've ever trusted... even my own kind..." Baphomet felt terrible for the dejected Pokémon.

"You know," she began in a coaxing tone. "If you want to be taken care of by somebody, my trainer over there would really be your best bet." The Cubone wasn't moved by this offer.

"Why should I ever trust a HUMAN again?" the Cubone said, emphasizing the word "human" with disdain.

"Well, how many humans have you known?"

"One. And one was ENOUGH."

"Not all humans are the same, you know," Baphomet persisted. "You may have met a cruel or careless one, but there ARE some really nice ones who would LOVE to have you with them."

"I doubt THAT..." the Cubone remained pessimistic. "I've already discovered that nobody wants me..." At this point Ganymede, who had been listening in on the conversation, uncurled its tail from Sean's arm and dropped to the ground, proceeding to hop over to the talking pair of Pokémon, using its coiled up tail like a pogo stick.

"I know it must be hard for you to trust anyone ever again," Ganymede began tenderly. "But don't lose all hope for things getting better just because of the bad experiences you've had. If you shut out all hope, you might miss out when an opportunity comes along to change your life for the better..." Ganymede's short speech seemed to make the Cubone think about this, at least a little.

"That's right!" Baphomet agreed cheerily. "And you've got a golden opportunity right NOW to travel with a FANTASTIC trainer who will NEVER be cruel to you." She made her enthusiasm for her trainer quite clear.

"You... you really think he would want me?" The Cubone spoke hesitantly, almost with reserved fear in its voice.

"Absolutely!" Baphomet assured him. "Just look at him over there, looking at you with those big worried eyes," Baphomet teased as she gestured toward Sean. Sean was interested to know what his Pokémon were talking about.

"I think I'll go see if I can find out what the situation is," Sean told Rayf as he began to cautiously approach the three Pokémon. Kiichigo hovered along with him.

"Good luck!" Rayf wished him as he stood where he was to watch. He then turned to Traumellow. "Looks like Sean might be about to get a new companion, huh?"

The Hypno looked up at him slightly confused. "Nooo?" Rayf chuckled lightly to himself. Meanwhile Sean had walked up to where the Cubone was sitting.

"What's up, guys?" He addressed his Pokémon. Find out anything?

"Zuuu, Zubat!" Baphomet exclaimed excitedly as she put a friendly wing around the Cubone.

"Horseeeaa, seahorseeaa sea!" Ganymede echoed Baphomet's bright tone.

Sean smiled. "Made a friend, huh?" Then, after a moment of hesitation, the Cubone got up and inched gradually up to Sean.

"Cubone, bone," it said almost inaudibly while holding its bone nervously in both hands and making little eye contact with Sean.

"Hmmmm... I'm not sure exactly what you just said, but... could it be that you'd like to travel along with us?" The Cubone suddenly looked up at Sean with relief in its eyes for just a second, and then reverted to staring at the ground solemnly. In a movement almost too small to be noticed, it nodded its head once.

Sean smiled at the shy Pokémon. "I don't know why you're out here all alone, or how your helmet got that big fracture, but I'd love to have your company," he took out an empty Pokéball from his backpack and kneeled to offer it to the Cubone. "Just touch this to make it official." The Cubone looked at the Pokéball and then at Sean, gratitude showing in its eyes. Then it finally walked up to the ball and touched it with one hand, causing the device to envelope the Cubone in red energy and suck it inside.

Rayf walked up to Sean and put a hand on his shoulder as he stood up. "Looks like YOU just saved someone in need of rescue now."

Sean looked fondly at the Pokéball which now held his newest friend. "I think you're right, Rayf."

The end... Aww, now wasn't that sweet? ^_^ Anyway, this is by no means the VERY end. The story'll definitely continue in another fic. Just FYI.


End file.
